A powerful tornado tore through the town of Rio Bonito do Iguaçu in southern Brazil’s Paraná state on Friday, killing at least five people and injuring around 130 others, local authorities confirmed.
The violent storm overturned vehicles, uprooted trees, and ripped through homes, leaving widespread destruction across the municipality of about 14,000 residents. Winds were recorded at up to 250 kilometers per hour, according to the state’s environmental monitoring agency.
Civil defense officials said around 30 victims sustained serious or moderate injuries, while another 100 suffered minor wounds.
Governor Ratinho Júnior said on X (formerly Twitter) that state security forces had been “mobilised and are closely monitoring all affected areas.”
Weather agencies have issued ongoing storm alerts for Paraná and the neighboring states of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul, warning of more potentially dangerous weather conditions in the coming days.
